Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Filipino Blog of the Week started April 2006, it is hosted by the Composed Gentleman, and from what I've understand so far, it is a weekly event wherein Filipino-owned blogs are nominated (I don't know how they choose the nominees) and they have a week to garner the most votes. Top 3 winners are chosen and they will have the right and authority to post their winning badge.

Yesterday, as I was scrolling down the messages in my chatbox (at A taste of Both Worlds), I read a note about my other blog being nominated in the Filipino Blog of the Week, I got curious and so I checked on the link, it is not as grand as other contest or voting polls but it has its own charm. The first time I checked, I am not exactly leading in the race, actually, I was more like behind everyone, so I asked a little help from my plurk friends and, obviously, only a few heard me (at least a few did) as I now have 7 votes, 5 votes behind the leading blog.

Well, I started late so I'm kinda cramming to get even, I have three remaining days to promote and beg for votes and I'm starting with this post.

Anybody? The whole process is easy and it won't take a minute of your time, promise. Just click the link (Composed Gentleman), scroll down and stay focus on the sidebar, you'll notice the blog of the week badge and the poll below it, tick tasteofbothworlds and then click vote, and viola, you've made my day!

I'm keeping my fingers cross and I'm counting on you guys. Thanks!

Edit:

I didn't win but it doesn't matter, a Plurk buddy won and I am happy for him.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Many of you must have noticed that I now have an Entrecard widget on my sidebar, okay, erase that, the more appropriate sentence should be - most of you are here , passing by my blog or hopefully reading my blog because I am now a member of Entrecard - there I just set it right *grins*.

My food and travel blog - A Taste of Both Worlds had been a member of Entrecard for more than a year and I believe it had brought me most of my viewers, readers and subscribers, so in my book, it is but necessary to put this blog under Entrecard's wing. Though it is stated in their rules 101 that a blog should be 3 months old with at least 5 entries before it can be an Entrecard member, my stubborn self applied Up Close and (a little) Personal hoping it will be accepted, and it was, just last week. I guess my application was confirmed right away because my blog have more than a couple dozen posts (and counting) in less than a month, they must have taken that into consideration. Anyway, whatever their reasons maybe, I am just glad they did!

The Cebu Dancing Inmates gained popularity in 2007 through their thriller routine, and as expected, most if not all of them were devastated to hear that their idol Michael Jackson passed away. About 10 hours after hearing the bad news, they choreographed a dance medley as a tribute to the late King of Pop. Video above is a news footage from ABS-CBN.

Video above is a longer (a more detailed) version of their tribute sans the Thriller routine. If you're still craving for some more videos, just log in to You Tube and key in Cebu Dancing Inmates and leisurely take your pick among their many vid uploads.

A friend in Facebook quoted that Michael Jackson is now moonwalking to(go to)heaven, I do pray that he's right. Godspeed MJ!

Friday, June 26, 2009

Rumors that Jeff Goldblum had fallen off a cliff and died while filming in New Zealand went viral today, but it's all just a big hoax. His publicist, Evelyn Karamanos, confirmed that he's well and alive.

I think, some folks were just trying to manipulate the situation as people around the globe are still dazed about the sudden passing of Jackson within the same day of Fawcett's death. That's the magic of internet and the freedom of speech combined.

Michael Jackson passed away at the age of 50 due to cardiac arrest the afternoon of June 25.

A 911 call came at 12:21 pm from his Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles, paramedics arrived to a non-breathing and no pulse MJ, they tried to revived him but they never succeeded. He was rushed to UCLA but after tremendous efforts from the hospital staff, the King of Pop still succumbed to death.

He was survived by his three children - Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

No official statement has been released as of this moment but a press conference was about to be held outside the UCLA Hospital.

Farrah Fawcett passed away at 9:28 am, June 25; she was 62. She died in the ICU of St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, leaving her long-time partner Ryan O' Neal and her only child Redmond, who is currently in jail.

The original Charlie's Angel was diagnosed with anal cancer back in 2006 and she has been battling the disease ever since. She had been bedridden most of her remaining days, she was said to be nearing her death yesterday as most of her friends and relatives flocked to the hospital to say their goodbyes, at the same time, she had been given the last sacrament of the church.

Just as she finally agreed to marry her longtime beau, death had conquered her.

Ryan O'Neal's released statement:"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away. Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."

Thursday, June 25, 2009

I was supposed to blog about this a few days ago but I just can't figure out how to make it an engaging story, well, I haven't figured it out and I finally gave up on trying. I decided to make this post as random as it can be, whatever comes out comes out *grins*.

I recently joined the bandwagon of mommy's earning online, they come as SAHM (stay-at-home-moms) and WAHM (work-at-home-moms), either way, it meant staying with my kid and managing the household while earning a little on the Internet. A good deal in my book and I finally decided to give it a try.

I have been blogging for more than a year now - A Taste of Both Worlds - started February of 2008 but I didn't created that for the money, I started it to have something to do while taking care of our (then) Internet cafe and to refuel the bond between me and my best. Along the way, my best friend let go of blogging due to time restrictions, we closed down our small Internet shop, and I opted to put advertisements on my blog. As I am not a pro-blogger and I don't have a mind on those SEO business, my blog advertisements didn't made much, up to now, I actually make a few cents a day or none at all. But, it's alright, I love to write, with sense or non at all, so earning through my blog will just fit as a bonus.

But as the recession struck us hard, I needed to do something to at least pay my electric and Internet bill, that's when I started my hunt of online money-making opportunities. I found out about EziHippo when my search began, it is a social networking site which gives their members a percentage of the site's income, they pay through Paypal with a $10 minimum and they currently have a $3 sign-up bonus. One just have to do what they are supposed to do in any social networking site and they can earn. Reminder though, EziHippo won't make you rich but with a little patience and a few minutes of your time everyday, it can give you at least a few dollars to buy some coffee and croissant *grins*.

So if you are interested (in any way), please sign up under my name. Here is my referral page, one click and you're all set to sign up. See you around in EziHippo.

Okay, okay, I think by now, you've already concluded that I am a showbiz enthusiast, well, you can add a Johnny Depp die-hard fan on that list, and more on that as we go along *grins*.

Tim Burton's take on the Lewis Caroll classic Alice in Wonderland will hit the theaters on March 5, 2010 but they recently released a bunch of character photos to titillate our mind on what really is coming on 2010.

Johnny Depp attended the premier of his new gangster movie last week in Chicago, after the event, he together with his Public Enemies' co-star Marion Cotillard and director Michael Mann along with a dozen more folks went to the Gibson's Steakhouse.

Depp and his friends ordered shrimp cocktails, Clams Casino among others, as well as a few expensive bottles of wine, the bill amounted to $4400 and good ol` Johnny made sure that the man who waited on their group during those late hours was duly compensated and by that - he meant living him a $4000 tip.

The lucky fellow is Mohammed A. Sekhani, a long time Gibson's waiter and he stated that he had served Depp a few times before, the Hollywood A-lister calls him Mo and was said to be a humble and cool guy.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I was supposed to blog about this earlier today as I received the news late last night but I was caught up in the Tinseltown's web and I ended up posting about showbiz-related stuff *grins*.

The first AH1N1-related death in the Philippines was recorded last Friday, June 19, it is also considered as the first ever death brought about by the flu virus in Asia. The first swine flu casualty here in RP is a 49-year old woman who suffered from heart, liver and kidney problems, as well as tuberculosis and a tumor, she died two days after showing symptoms of Influenza AH1N1. According to the news, on June 17, she first had fever and felt very weak making her immobile the rest of that day; on June 18, she totally lost her appetite and later that day, was too weak to even get up in bed; on June 19 (the day of her death), she had difficulty in breathing, this was what prompted her family to call a physician who came 1 hour later in time to pronounce her death.

She was tested positive of the AH1N1 virus after her death thus confirming the result of the post-autopsy findings that she had died of congestive heart failure aggravated by severe pneumonia either bacterial, viral or both.

Health Sec. Duque announced that they are revising measures to stop the spread of the disease and to prevent more deaths by focusing on more vulnerable people like pregnant women, the very young and elderly and those with underlying diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes, heart, liver and kidney ailments and people with HIV/AIDS.

Update:The first Influeneza AH1N1-realated fatality in the country turned out to be an employee of the House of Representatives which prompted the leadership to close down the Batasan Pambansa Complex in Quezon City until Sunday, June 28. More information on the matter in GMANews.TV.

Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf) of the hit series Gossip Girl is rumored to have a sextape online. According to TMZ, it is actually an old video taken when she was just eighteen by her then-boyfriend, said to be nothing compared to Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and Pamela Anderson vids as it is mostly nude scenes involving Meester.

The right to release it on the net was first offered to MrSkin.com for $100,000 but they passed, as of today some stills of the said sextape can be seen on celebhotline.com, giving the assumption that they were the one who took the deal.

Leighton Meester's camp is keeping mum about the matter.

I like her, actually, I like Blair Waldorf more but I do hope everything ends up the way she wants it to.

To prevent a courtroom drama, anticipated by many, starring Rihanna and Chris Brown, the latter decided to settle for a guilty plea on Monday (June 22). It was said that Chris Brown appeared in a Los Angeles court, dressed in a gray suit, to accept a deal in his felony assault case to avoid trial. Rihanna was supposed to take the stand to recount the events of the altercation she had with Brown on February 8, instead, she, wearing an all black ensemble, appeared briefly to have the deal explained to her.

Chris Brown's accepted deal involves pleading guilty to the felony charges, agrees to five years supervised probation, must complete 180days of hard community service in his hometown Virginia, complete domestic abuse classes, appear every three months in court to show progress, have no communication with and stay at least 50 yards away from her lessening it to 10 in cases of appearance in the same industry events. Rihanna believed that the plea was a fair and just solution to the case except for the five-years stay-away order (if not lifted), according to her attorney Donald Etra.

I watched the 109th USGA Tournament yesterday morning at Studio 23, just so you know, I don't know anything about golf, nothing at all, I even suck at golf-related video games *grins*. It was a case of anxiety and sleeplessness that led me into watching it, I can't say I enjoy it but it did help went into that much-wanted (and needed) slumber-ness. It was Barnes who was leading before I fell asleep but now that I googled it, it was Glover who won, I guess Barnes luck faltered.

I have a few personal observations about the US Open and Golf in general (some of which are nonsensical *lol*)

I, certainly think, that it was not Tiger Woods' best game, he was lagging behind big time.

Barnes had the best attire (the day I watched, I have no idea on those other 4 days).

Yano is the only Asian golfer present, he's from Japan.

I wanted Mickelson to win, just so for his wife (she's currently battling breast cancer).

My personal thought, golf is much like billiards - you have to put a ball in a hole, the outcome of which is definable through the power of your hit and a good eye for distance - but in golf the table (where they play) is much, much bigger *grins*.

Is it really necessary to put sands and water in a golf field? Why can't they just stick to the grass, the carefully manicured and laminated types, to prevent hassles *giggles*. Come on, isn't walking around on a huge area and hitting balls to reach a certain distance hard enough?

Monday, June 22, 2009

Did you notice that the sun stayed out longer yesterday? Yesterday, June 21, happened to be the longest day of the year - 13 hours here in the Philippines - this phenomenon is known as the Summer Solstice. It happens every 21st of June of every year, during which the northern part of the Earth is tilted towards the sun allowing the northern hemisphere to get more direct sunlight which heats the Earth more efficiently than the southern hemisphere.

I took this at around half past five before we headed to hubby's house. Ain't it pretty?

I know, I know, I am a day late (I had to attend to some immediate matters yesterday) but I do believe that it is better late than never, so here goes -

To Tatay,

I won't flatter you with "you're the best dad!" kind of crap but I do believe that you're trying hard to (at least) be a good father and that is enough for me. I am not the perfect daughter that you had dreamt to have and I had proven that more than enough but I am trying my best here *smile*. We might have our ups and downs and more than our fair share of troubles and heartaches, I may not show care and love as much as I used to but I do love you (you and nanay both). I may not smile or laugh or have fun with you anymore, I may not show attention or concern, I may not be the same person that I was but I promise, I see (saw, seen) everything and in my own due time, I will patch things up between the two of us.

Take care of yourself, as you should know, you raised a stubborn, headstrong and willful girl, so you'll need all your strength and a darn, long life to be able to embrace me back in your arms the time I'm ready. And I am counting on you!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

One Liter of Tears is one of those syndicated television drama series that was Tagalized (a popular term used here in the Philippines when something is translated in our own Tagalog language), the telenovela ended last night, it was aired in a primetime slot in GMA 7. As the title of the TV program connotes, I did shed more than a liter of tears in the whole month (or less) that it was aired. Three nights ago, my son promptly told me that I am always crying whenever I watch One Liter of Tears and that I shouldn't watch it anymore to prevent me from having anymore heartaches (isn't he sweet?)

One Liter of Tears is a Japanese television drama for Fuji Television about a girl who was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease at 15 but was able to continue her life until her death at the age of 25. Variations of titles include (1) Ichi Rittoru No Namida, A Diary with Tears, A Diary of Tears; it is an adaptation of the published diary of Aya Kito of the same title in 1986 and a movie (of the same title) that was released in 2008.

According to FujiTV - One Litre of Tears (Ichi Rittoru no Namida / A Diary with Tears) is about a 15-years-old Kito Aya. Aya was an ordinary girl, the daughter of a family who works at a tofu shop, and a soon-to-be high schooler. However, odd things have been happening to Aya lately. She has been falling down often and walks strange. Her mother, Shioka, takes Aya to see the doctor, and he informs Shioka that Aya has spinocerebellar degeneration - a terrible disease where the cerebellum of the brain gradually deteriorates to the point where the victim cannot walk, speak, write, or eat. A cruel disease, as it does not affect the mind in the least.

This beautifully moving drama is based on the real-life struggles of a 15-years-old girl named Aya who suffered from an incurable disease, but lived life to the fullest until her death at 25. The script is based on the diary Aya kept writing until she could no longer hold a pen. The book that later followed entitled “One Litre of Tears" has sold over 1.1 million copies in Japan alone.Aya's only wish was “to live." By carefully depicting Aya's earnest desire to live, and the love of her family, friends, and lover, the drama, “One Litre of Tears" wishes to deliver her simple but strong message: “Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful thing."

I had seen most of the syndicated drama series from Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Mexico even before Asian programs dominated Philippine mainstream TV but I had never cried as much as I did nor did I ever felt humbled and thankful for what I have but One Liter of Tears made me experience all that in less than a month. A night never pass in the entire duration of the series that I didn't felt heavy-laden but within those same nights, after I put my son to bed, I felt (I still do) very fortunate that I am not the one in Shioka's (Aya's mom) place. Yes, I did whisper a number of thank you(s) to the Lord Almighty during those times and I plan to continue to do so. :)

For that and a whole lot more, I give One Liter of Tears a two thumbs up! I'll make it a three, if I have an extra thumb *grins*.

Friday, June 19, 2009

I haven't blogged since Tuesday (June 16), my internet connection was disabled and was re-connected yesterday night (at around 11:30pm), and as expected, PLDT-myDSL connection was erratic even after retiring for a few days so I decided to prolong my absence and make a comeback today *grins*.

So, what did I miss?

Oh well...

* Monday marked the return of my son to school, he's in Preparatory now *proud mama*. * Influenza AH1N1 cases escalates in the Philippines, bringing the number to more than 300, making us the 2nd most-infected country in the Southeast, Japan still holds the title at 600+ cases. * Good thing is, the number of rehabilitated (totally free of virus) cases of AH1N1 has risen to almost 250. * The Con-Ass congressmen are now in vacation in Japan and then to Brazil, camouflaging as presidential delegates, who are they kidding? * Katrina Halilli filed another case against Hayden Kho, this time she included Vicki Belo (the mistress of Belo Medical Group). * Manny Pacquiao ranked at no.6 together with LeBron James on Forbes Highest Earning Athletes, he was said to have raked in almost 2billion pesos last year (2008). * I am now officially a non-adsense publisher. * And I am officially broke *grins*.

I had received the dreaded e-mail from the Google Adsense team on June 13 and I filed an appeal on that same day. I instantly got an automated message:

Hello,

Thank you for appealing the disabling of your AdSense account. Thismessage confirms that we've received your appeal submission.

We'll try to review your account in a timely manner, but depending on thevolume of appeals we receive, it may take up to 48 hours or longer for usto reply. In addition, there may be a delay in our response if you'vesubmitted your appeal during the weekend. Also, please be aware thatappealing the disabling of your AdSense account does not guarantee that itwill be reinstated.

So, I have to wait for 48hours or more... let's see, as far as I remember I sent the appeal between 2-4pm Philippine time on June 13. Today is June 15, time is set at 12pm, so my appeal will close the 48 hour cycle later at 4pm. I just need to keep my faith alive while waiting *sigh*.

It was a Sunday yesterday and we all know that an evening newscasts are put on hold on weekends but I manage not to dozed off until I had my daily dose of news and current affairs courtesy of the late evening (midnight, would be more appropriate) news program in GMA 7. And lo and behold, the Philippines (which I just blogged a few days ago to have minor cases of swine flu) had already declared a community-level outbreak of Influenza AH1N1 in Brgy. Hilera, Jaen, Nueva Ecija.

The outbreak started when a set of elementary students exhibited symptoms of the disease weeks after a medical mission was held in their village, the medical mission were attended by doctors and medical professionals from foreign countries (which have swine flu cases). The first 11 cases were of 10 elementary students and 1 four-year old child with 57 more students under observation as they are all exhibiting AH1N1flu symptoms plus 35 others who are feared to have contacted the disease, as well.

The declaration was done by DOH upon the approval of Sec. Duque but it was Dr. Eric Tayag of the National Epidemiology Center who had confirmed the news to most TV programs. He said that their means in managing Influenza AH1N1 has now shifted to mitigation from the previous containment strategy, but it will still be a case to case basis. He gave Mindanao as an example, they will continue to use the containment approach as there are no reported cases of the flu in the area yet.

As of early Monday, the Influenza AH1N1 cases in the country has risen to 147 with an expected surge because of the suspected cases in Jaen, Nueva Ecija. Dr. Tayag advises the public to stay vigilant and always observe proper personal hygiene.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

It has been my habit to open my e-mail before I do anything else on the net, and yesterday afternoon was no different, I checked my inbox, there were a bunch of Friendster and Facebook memos and other whatnot, and so after reading and deleting most I moved on. I saw that I have 3 spam messages and when I opened it, I was instantly rendered speechless by one - Google Adsense Account Disabled. The e-mail has this to say:

[Hello,

While going through our records recently, we found that your AdSenseaccount has posed a significant risk to our AdWords advertisers. Sincekeeping your account in our publisher network may financially damage ouradvertisers in the future, we've decided to disable your account.

Please understand that we consider this a necessary step to protect theinterests of both our advertisers and our other AdSense publishers. Werealize the inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you in advancefor your understanding and cooperation.

The Google AdSense Team]After reading that, I was immobile for at least a minute or two and I felt like I was floating on some weird world, I might have looked like a retard or something at that time. And then, it fully hit me, my adsense account was disabled... but why? I haven't done anything to trigger such a notice from them, is this for real? What do I do? What did I do? And then deep thoughts, sadness, agitation, semi-depression, anger and other myriad of feelings crossed over me.

As I regained my composure, I decided to click on the link that they had included in the e-mail and I was brought to a page about adsense disabled accounts, one topic is this:

[Can my account be reinstated after being disabled for invalid click activity?

We're always willing to work with you to resolve any issues you may have. If you feel that this decision was made in error, and if you can maintain in good faith that the invalid activity was not due to the actions or negligence of you or those for whom you are responsible, you may appeal the disabling of your account.

To do so, please contact us only through our online appeal form.

Once we receive your appeal, we'll do our best to inform you quickly and will proceed with appropriate action as necessary. Please understand, however, that there is no guarantee that your account will be reinstated.

Please also bear in mind that once we've reached a decision on your appeal, further appeals may not be considered, and you may not receive any further communication from us.]As I can truthfully say that I haven't done anything wrong and I do think that I don't deserve such an action from them, I filled up the appeal form. The appeal form, by the way, looks more like a guilty plea of some sorts... click the link to see for your selves.

I'm supposed to publish the contents of my appeal form but I decided to hold it for now, I'll wait for their response first (if and ever they will respond) and then, we'll see...

An online friend told me that 99% of cases like this has gotten nowhere, most of the appeals were left unanswered or the very least, declined. I am hoping for a better outcome though, I'm keeping my fingers cross. Please pray for me...

Friday, June 12, 2009

Orlando Magic had a stunning 12 point lead at half-time but it was gone a few (five or less, I think) minutes into the the third quarter of the game, sign of incoming trouble, if I may say. I, actually, feared that they're gonna win this game because they were leading by 3 points 11.1 seconds on the clock with Dwight Howard on the free throw line but then, he missed it both, giving Derek Fisher the opportunity to nail a three-pointer, thus pushing the game to an overtime. During OT, Fisher came out, again, as he shot another three-pointer kicking Kobe Bryant aside to be the star of this game. If you'll ask me, it is a welcome change as long as they will win *grins*.

Next game will be on June 14 (US), if the Magic shower some pixie dust on the Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida and win Game 5, the June 16 Game 6 event will bring us back to Los Angeles but if they loss, then a celebration is in order.

June 12 is the official date of Philippine Independence, at this day a century and 11 years ago (111) the Philippine flag was raised at Kawit, Cavite by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo (who then became the first president of this country).

Well, I can't let it pass, I saw this Google logo last night and I felt a great surge of happiness and pride, Google is celebrating with us Pinoy(s), isn't that wonderful? To the mind and power behind this idea, thank you!

I just watched the news and it is confirmed that Influenza AH1N1 (universally known as Swine Flu) is now at its highest phase (phase 6) or more commonly termed as a Global Pandemic. According to WHO (World Health Organization), the spread of swine flu is the first global flu epidemic in 41 years. The disease has now reached 74 countries and infected more or less 30,000 people, with proclaimed deaths totaled to more than a hundred. For more information, you can visit Yahoo News or you can search the web for more information.

Here in the Philippines, the AH1N1 flu's spread has started slowly but when the summer break ended more and more cases of the virus has been documented. As of the moment, the number of those infected has reached the hundred level, citing more students from De La Salle University, Saint Benilde College, FEU East Asia, Ateneo de Manila High School, among others; and a suspected case in one public school in Metro Manila. But Health Secretary Francisco Duque noted that the Influenza AH1N1 here in our country is a mild virus compared to those of Mexico and neighboring states, proof of which are the 32 patients who had fully recovered. I hope he's right.

Not a good news to sleep to but another reason to pray solemnly before hitting the bed.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

OMG! Another video from the infamous collection of Dr. Hayden Kho (hope his license will be revoke immediately) has leaked in the net. We have seen the now famous renditions of Careless Whisper and Beautiful Girls of Katrina Halili (a Filipina actress) and the said aesthetic doctor, as well as their own (you know) and we've been witness to his affair with Maricar Reyes (a practicing psychologist turned actress) but, I guess, secrets really do come out at their own due time.

I know, I know, you don't need anymore introductions or preamble as you all know more than we should *grins*.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

First, I want to wake up early and prepare some good old Filipino-style breakfast buffet for my family. I can smell longganisa, tocino (Filipino version of sausage and bacon), sunny side up eggs, fried rice mixed with lots of toasted garlic, salted eggs with sweet, red tomatoes, pandesal (bread) with kesong puti, hot cofffe and cold choco. Hmm... what a life!

Second, I would take my son to a nearby park and then play with him until the sun shines to its hottest.

Third, I would ask hubby to fetch us and then, the three of us can go to Roxas Blvd. and eat some chicken barbecue in Aristocrat.

Fourth, I'll ask hubby to play video games with our son while I take a leisurely bath.

Fifth, I would love to lie in bed alone with a Twilight book in hand, reading until I fall asleep.

Not a hard feat eh, but for a mom like me with a super active, five-year old son, it's kinda harder than it seems. :)

After years of procrastination, I am, finally, a registered voter, again! No ID yet, according to the reps inside our local COMELEC, it would take years before we can receive that, a stub was given in placed of a voter's ID and that stub is what we will bring on election day come 2010.

I can't remember the exact year the first and last time I practiced my right to vote, but I certainly remember that I voted for Miriam Defensor-Santiago for President at that time. I was a first-time voter and still in college, if I'm not mistaken, with youthful dreams and hopes for her beloved country. Well, my youthful glow was, obviously, crashed the minute (months after, actually) I finished college and gotten involved in the real world. I think, I passed out on the opportunity not to vote for Erap (former Pres. Joseph Estrada) and, specially not for GMA (Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) together with a dozens and more of senators, congressmen, mayors, councilors and other barangay officials. I don't regret doing what I did but, I guess, it's time for a new leap - maybe, just maybe, my one vote will count, finally!

For those who haven't register yet, do visit COMELEC online to get more information on where and when registrations take place in your place. Registration will run up to October 31, 2009.

Tips:1. Be early. If you can go to your local COMELEC's office half an hour earlier than their opening time, do so. It's better to invest that time waiting first in line than waiting forever at the end of the line, trust me.

2. Bring a valid and current ID with your name, address and photo. If you have a secondary-listed ID, get a police clearance (that's the easiest and cheapest way of doing it).

3. Come prepared. You'll be there in a span of 1-3 hours (or more) depending on the number of people in line, machines working and COMELEC reps (that are actually) working and moving. Don't go in case you have another appointment later that day or, at least, re-schedule.

4. If someone can accompany you, the better! So, you can have someone to talk and fool around with while waiting *grins*.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Oh well, I just did! I've been tinkering with the idea of having a personal blog aside from my travel and food blog A Taste of Both Worlds, and it has been on my mind for ages and today just happens to be the right day (don't ask me why coz I don't know either, it just is).

In here, I would be able to write all the stuff that has been bothering me and thoughts that are piled mountain-high in my head, my sentiments about everyday news, current events and the likes, my so-called wisdom (or not) on motherhood, marriage and life in general, personal stories (and myths) about me and my family and a whole lot more. As this is a personal blog, there is no limit on what I can talk, rant and fuzz about, and I so love that idea.

Uhmm... I guess that's enough introduction, got to go search for a nice template and prepare for my first official post. See you around peeps!

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